Monday, April 09, 2012

My Hero

Happy Resurrection Day, my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus! Having taken a social media break for the last six and a half weeks, it's time to resurrect this blog! As the Lord has been speaking to me, there are all manner of subjects that I want to write to you about over the next few weeks. Before I take on any of that however, I need to tell you a story that trumped all of those topics. I believe that's just as God would have it. So dig this...

Last Wednesday, I had a lunch date planned with a precious friend. We had set the day, the time, and the place, about a week in advance. If you know me at all, you know that in order to make this lunch, I had to plot out my morning just so. Just so I would make it on time, with everything that I needed to get done at home...done. On schedule, about a half hour before our designated time, my friend called to ask if I would mind changing the restaurant because she had a taste for cream of broccoli soup. No problem. She also asked me to bring along some papers that I had given to her previously, but she had misplaced. Again, no problem. Except that those papers were buried in boxes in a closet and would take a few minutes to collect. A little damp above the upper lip, I set out of the house, a few minutes later than I would have liked.

Because of our change in the location, I headed east from my house, when the original location would have taken me west. About ten houses away from my own, I couldn't believe my eyes! There in the oncoming lane, right smack in the middle of that lane, stood a little girl, no more than about two years old, in her hot pink, one-piece jammies. Sweet Jesus, she was just standing there! Now mind you, I don't live in a quiet suburban cul-de-sac. I live on a very busy ROAD! A car was sitting right in front of her, with a line-up of other cars behind him. They were just sitting there! I slammed on my brakes, threw my car in park, flung open my door, and ran over. Scooping her up in my arms, I took her to safety where I had left my car.

The driver of the first car took off, making sure he gave me a look of complete disdain and disgust. Apparently he mistook me for the child's parent or grandparent, and pronounced me the most irresponsible person he had ever seen. Whatever. The rest of the cars followed suit and were gone. I was left standing there with a little darling in hot pink jammies, and a wet bottom to boot.

She couldn't tell me her name. She couldn't tell me how old she was. When I asked her where her mama was, she pointed to about three different houses, repeating the word "mama" over and over again. I didn't want to put her in my car for obvious reasons, my phone was too far on the other side to grab without putting her in my car...can you sense that I'm out of breath just speaking of the thing! Right about then, a lady stopped her car and asked if we were okay. Um...no. She agreed to call the police for me, got out of her car, and waited with us. The police station is right on my corner, so our wait was only a matter of a couple of minutes.

After I explained what happened to the police officer, he took the child from me and proceeded to go across the street with her in tow. Just then, out came the "mama" from the corner house. Not running. Not a wee bit flustered. "I was in the bathroom", she said.

My maternal and grand-maternal temper wanted to scream, "without securing your doors? without making sure this kid was in a pack and play or SOMETHING? What were you doing in there all this time?" This doesn't even begin to address the dismay and anger I was feeling toward Mr. Look of Disdain and Disgust, who never thought for a blessed minute to get out of his car and pick that beautiful child up out of the street! I shudder at the many "what if's" and "what would have happens?"

After giving the police my driver's license information, I was able to leave and slowly pull away. What. was. THAT?!

THAT my precious friend, was God Himself!

Every last day of that pink-jammied little one's life, was ordained for her and written in her Heavenly Father's book before one of them came to be. Before the foundation of the world, His ever-watching and ever-loving eyes discerned her going out, literally into a busy road, on a sunny Wednesday morning in April. From eternity past, longer than we can fathom with our finite minds, He determined that no harm would come to her.

He would use a lunch date. He would make me late. He would send me in another direction. He would even give my beautiful friend a hankering for cream of broccoli soup. O the wonder of my Blessed Savior! I just can't get over Him! He is too much!

My man asked me if I was aware that I was a hero. He said that I saved that little girl's life. I was just part of a plan bigger than myself. An instrument. A willing vessel in a grand design. There was nothing of circumstance or coincidence or happenstance in this scenario. The One whose eye is on the sparrow, had His eye on His precious princess in pink pajamas.

Wow, what a story! I'm so glad God put you in that little girls path. I can't believe nobody else did anything. What a beautiful story on so many levels. I love that you just put yourself in God's hands and acted without thinking about yourself, just that sweet baby. Thank you so much for sharing this!

You are so right, Sister Donna! What a marvelous Lord we serve who would see the plight of one of his babies and move things around to put you in position to intervene. We are truly his hands and his feet. Thank you for choosing the better path.

Wow!!! I'm so happy to see you writing again but am even more ecstatic that YOU were God's chosen one to protect this child in a moment of danger. I'm appalled that the mother was so nonchalant about her daughter being alone in the street. If it were me, I would have been an emotional wreck!! Blessings sweet friend!Rosann

Thank you, Donna, for sharing this gripping story. I'm imagining my 1.5yo or even my 3yo in the middle of a road and feeling my stomach flip. What bothers me about this story is thinking this little one could make her way into the road, again. But, as you point out, God's eye is on her. I pray that He will continue to send angels (Donnas!) to protect her.

oh donna. oh my goodness. i'm so, so glad you were there. more and more, i am sensing God's heart for children. he will go to all lengths to protect and love on them... oh, i pray that mother realizes what a gift she has in her sweet wet-bottomed little girl. thank you, for listening to our father, friend. i've missed you. xo

It always amazes me how he orchestrates so much in our tiny lives. Like the story of Paul's conversion, how he had spoke to him on the road to Damascus and then spoke to Ananias as well and had his fingers in every part of that story. We recently had something similar happen, but much less severe as it was just a stray dog that belonged to a neighbor we rescued and it sort of irritated me afterwards how ungracious they seemed after we went out of our way to make sure their dog was safe and get it back to them. I still cherish the sight of the toddler wrapping her arms around her pet and try to believe that maybe the mom was just tired that day and truly was more happy, and maybe so with this mom, maybe, if anything she will at least get more prayer now!

You are so right. Many have been praying for this mom since I wrote about what happened. I realized that I was being a little too hard on her. Perhaps she WAS just tired or distracted or burdened in some way by a situation in her life.I even regret writing about her nonchalant attitude about it, because people seemed to put all of their focus on that part of the story. I want everyone to keep their eyes on God in this scenario and how His fingerprints were all over it. And btw, what you did was just as important and God orchestrated. Thank you for being obedient and willing to get involved.

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About Me

Donna Schultz served God for many years in the area of outreach to the poor and homeless on the east side of Detroit, Michigan.
God has placed a call on Donna’s life to teach the Word of God in a practical way that can be easily put into practice in our daily lives.
Donna has an inspiring testimony of how the power of God can transform a person’s life. Having been raised in a dysfunctional home, and being a victim of verbal and emotional abuse, she has suffered the damaging effects of rejection, low self-esteem, self-destructive behavior and sin. Donna is able to relate to the problems that others face. Using the Word of God as the only guide, she teaches how the power of God, inherent in His Word, can make us all overcomers.
Donna is the author of a devotional blog called “Tuesdays with Jesus” which is being used in Bible studies and for personal use all over the US. Donna and her husband, Chuck, were married for twenty three years. Her husband passed away from cancer in January, 2015. They have six children and are the proud grandparents of Ashton, Brooklyn, Mason, Logan, Evie Grace, Isla, Charlotte, and Noah, who lives in Heaven with Jesus.